Mayor de Blasio Announces Housing Plan – May 5, 2014

May 5, 2014

Share This Page

In addressing one of his administration's top priorities, Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced his ten-year plan to meet the city's aff­­­­­ordable housing challenges.

With Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, several key agency commissioners, union leaders, and private sector developers, the Mayor stood at an active construction site in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, providing a broad mission statement of sorts and taking questions from the assembled media.

In doing so he broadly outlined the ways in which the administration will build or preserve 200,000 affordable units, serving a half-million New Yorkers in all five boroughs.

The major points of the plan include the following:

Establishing a mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program in certain zoning districts and as part of new rezonings

Preserving existing government-assisted housing stock

Reviewing opportunities to modify existing zoning requirements, including an increase in allowable floor area (increasing the maximum residential floor area over 12 FAR) and building height, a decrease in parking requirements, and more flexible rules for building conversions and transfers of development rights

Seeking changes to the 421-a tax exemption program, including an increase in the percentage of affordable units, changes to the benefit schedule, and changes to the AV cap provisions

The city will also seek to streamline the 421-a program process and to harmonize the requirements of the inclusionary and 421-a programs

In order to implement the plan, the city will also seek to double the capital budget of the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD), increase staffing at the Department of City Planning and HPD, and maximize resources at the City Housing Development Corporation